The Michigan Daily-Friday, May 26, 1978-Page 5
PLYMOUTH HEAD TO FOLLOW COURT ORDER:
Rosen pledges quick changes
By MICHAEL ARKUSH
David Rosen, new acting director at
the Plymouth Center for Human
Development, yesterday pledged to
quickly implement court-ordered
changes to improve conditions at the
institution.
Rosen, who replaced acting director
Evelyn Provitt several days ago, said
his staff will "hire more key people in
high administrative posts to oversee a
total program of solving the abuse
situation at the center."
ORDERED BY Federal District
Court Judge Charles Joiner to report
any charges of abuse, a Plymouth
monitoring group disclosed Tuesday
that residents in two halls at the center
still live in smelly and noisy conditions.
The group also reported the center's
failure to reduce the staff-resident ratio
to one to four during the day.
Rosen defended the Provitt ad-
ministration for attempting to hire as
many qualified attendants as possible.
"I BELIEVE we could have hired 271
if we were willing to give up quality for
quantity. We now have screening teams
who are interviewing prospective new
attendants," said Rosen.
Other allegations the monitoring
group made were:
* the failure of the center to initiate an
accountability system, where each at-
tendant is responsible for a certain
group of residents.
* the staff's inability to separate
aggressive residents from passive
ones.
" lack of training for the institution's
attendants.
" reports of insufficient amounts of
food given to residents.
" excessive odor in two halls which for-
ced the monitors to leave the room.
The monitoring group was
established by a preliminary injunction
issued March 3 by Judge Joiner, who
ordered a series of changes for the cen-
ter.
ROSEN AGREED some of the court
orders were not being complied with
but said he would initiate prompt
changes. He also said it would be
"anywhere from a week to a month"
before the required one to four atten-
dant/residents ratio is achieved.
The new director pointed out that the
hiring process had been stalled while
dismissing incompetent attendants. He
said he feared an "overload" of atten-
dants and preferred to hire attendants
slowly to insure employing quality
workers.
Rosen said his staff is busy
evaluating the charge that residents
received inadequate amounts of food.
He said he would take harsh action if he
found someone was deliberately
withholding food from residents.
"I KNOW WE have plenty of food so
we are trying to find out how that hap-
pened," Rosen said. Rosen admitted
the two halls in Plymouth had serious
odor problems, and said his staff had
already ordered exhaust fans to clean
those halls.
Rosen said his staff was also devising
a procedure that would separate the
aggressive residents from the passive
ones. He insisted it was a very difficult
task since parents of the residents have
to be notified and residents with
illnesses can't be moved. But he
pledged to transfer the required
residents "within a week."
"Our chief psychologist said that 18
residents need to be transferred and we
are now moving to do that," said Rosen.
JOINER'S ORDER resulted from a
suit filed by the Plymouth Association
for Retarded Citizens (PARC) against
several state mental health officials,
charging them with mishandling the
abuse problem and violating the federal
state constitution.
PARC member Sandy McGuire
criticized the Provitt Administration
for failing to comply with Joiner's or-
ders.
"I can understand the problems with
hiring new attendants but I can't see
why it takes so long to get Plymouth
cleaned. The fact that abuse is still
going on is just intolerable," said
McGuire.
Another PARC member Mary
Brimhall disagreed, insisting that new
procedures take a long time to accom-
plish. "The changes that are made
overnight usually don't become effec-
tive," said Brimhall.
Council rejeets plan
to rehire fired black
City Hall employee
Proposed tenant bill
draws-mixed opinions
clauses." (Continued from Page 3) clauses.
REP. PERRY BULLARD (D-Ann Michigan's warning clause is an ab-
Arbor), who helped push the bill breviated version of Ann Arbor's, as it
through the House said, "It (the bill) does not mention the tenant rights or
will be a list that can be added to by explain the nature of illegal clauses in
court decisions. The fertile minds of as much detail as must be done in Ann
landlord attorneys could, of course, Arbor.
create new clauses faster than we could Clodfelter noted that while an Ann
list them as being illegal." Arbor landlord convicted of putting
Rose also complained the bill outlines illegal clauses in a lease is guilty of a
a warming clause which is less offen- criminal misdemeanor, punishable
sive than the one included in Ann Ar- only up to a fine of $25 on the first offen-
bor's ordinance. A warning clause is a se, the state bill would consider the case
statement landlords must legally give a suit in which a landlord could be fined
tenants in some writing form stating up to $500, depending on the nature of
that the lease may contain illegal the illegal clause.
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
presents
The Jean Kerr Comedy
Finishing Touches
May 24-27 Curtain 8 pm
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
BOX OFFICE HOURS:
Monday & Tuesday: 10-6 Friday: 12-8
Wednesday & Thursday: 10-8 Saturday: 3-8
For information: 763-1085 No Phone Orders
(Continued from Page 1)
The report also said "blacks have
been monitored in their time usage in a
different manner than have white em-
ployees." It added Morton was the only
planning department employee denied
a "merit increase."
THE REPORT also said Morton was
overworked and had been given twice
the work load in 1976 as the year before.
Planning department head Martin
Overhiser had cited Morton for not
finishing his work on time and not per-
forming adequately.
The Republicans charged that Mor-
ton had been asked four times by the
Civil Rights Department if he wanted
his old job back and each time he rejec-
ted it.
Latta said, however, Morton wanted
a job with the city if he were treated
fairly, and had refused his old job if un-
der the same conditions.
BELCHER DID not allow Morton to
speak at the Council meeting although
he had spoken before Council the week
before.
Morton's attorney refused comment
on last night's decision. She said she
didn't know if Morton would pursue the
case further.
If the case goes to court, Ann Arbor
could lose $2 million in Community
Development Block Grants (CDBG) it
receives from the federal government.
CBDG money cannot go to local gover-
nments which practice racial
discrimination.
IN OTHER action, Council decided to
wait until the third week of June to
decide on a new 500-space city parking
structure.
Two structures are currently under
consideration, one on E. Washington St.
between Fifth and Division Streets.
City officials prefer this site because it
has better access to downtown em-
ployment centers. However, there may
be difficulties purchasing the land.
The other site, also on Washington,
between State and Division, is already
owned by the city.
Mayor Belcher said he did not want to
rush into a decision which Ann Arbor
would not have to live with for the next
hundred years.
The decision next month would be to
determine on which site to conduct an
architectural feasibility study.
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